THE FRYING PAN Play Review

THE FRYING PAN, an Out of the Box production (though not as literally as the group's name suggests) celebrates one of the most regretful, resentful and animated human emotions- Anger. Four people from different walks of life exhibit their anger in different ways and happen to be stuck together in their last session of anger management. They share their life stories with each other while waiting for their instructor Dr Marcus Phillip (who never appears) and for their anger management certificates.

As the play commences we are introduced to Natasha Bhatt, Hassan Al Asad, Dev and Sandy alias Sadanandam Shah. There is one thing common between them besides anger and that is the anger management certificate which they desperately await. Hasan needs it because the government has unreasonably refused to give his passport without which he can't return to his native place Syria to meet his girlfriend Simi. Natasha wants it so that she can start her Yoga classes again which have been put on hold because one of her students filed a case of mental assault and violence against her. Sandy needs it because he is a true blue Gujju and has paid for the course. Dev doesn't really require it but is simply accompanying his friends.



Sadanandam (Sandy) meaning "happy always" is ironically an irritated, volatile, forever angry creature who is ready to pounce at anybody for any reason. He gets angry at the drop of a hat and breaks into a fight frequently. He is addicted to gambling and speaks in a stereotyped Gujarati accent which is extremely loud. Murtuza Kutianawala, who is also the director of this English comedy, has played him quite well.

Hassan Al Asad on the other hand is a happy go lucky guy who is a Syrian foreign exchange student. He speaks English with an Arabic accent and keeps chatting to his girlfriend online while flirting with Natasha. It is one of the most well written characters in the play, maybe because Sujay Mirchandani who essays this role is also the writer of the play. Hassan brings fun and liveliness to the scenes. His scenes with the Haryanvi embassy officer are worth a watch.

Natasha Bhatt stands out for her calmness and serenity. Most of the times she is advising the three guys and stopping them from getting into arguments and fights. She practices and preaches Yoga and advices the same to others. Only once in her career she got mean with someone and has therefore landed in the anger management class.

Dev played by Abhishek Pattnaik is probably the only character in the play which hasn't been stereotyped. He has portrayed his character brilliantly. He is very emotional but is unable to express himself. There are times in the play when Dev gets around expressing his emotions and those moments are touching.

The intended comedy is only funny in parts though. The first act is slow and drags. The play picks up in the second half and delivers some good scenes. Nidhi Singh proves that big things come in small packages. Though she has only two small roles in the play, she is a natural.

The scene in which the four protagonists are engaged with a cricket match between India and Pakistan was hilarious. Sandy has put his money on Pakistan and hence is cheering for the men in green. Dev on the other hand is shouting his lungs out for India. Hassan is clueless as he is a Syrian and Natasha cares only about how the cricketer looks.

Though there is something about the idea of creating a story around anger management and anger in its different forms- volatile, judgmental, passive... this play is full of stereotypes and hence is not exceptional in any way. It does however delve on sensitive issues such as Muslims being branded as rebels and terrorists.

The classroom set is basic and so is the light design. The four main characters unfold their stories against the background of a blackboard and quotes on anger. If the play might have been shorter, it could have realized its more entertaining aspects.

*Astha Arora acts in Yatri's productions. She has a graduate degree in Mass Media and is now pursuing her Masters in Journalism.